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Oshrun shook her head. "Most of these concerns are things I've been thinking about for years, since before Nnimi was born.

It is my decision; the assembly is there for guidance.

Besides, we finally have a reason to act, and as long as it's done carefully, it should benefit the community. Besides—” She leaned forward slightly.

“—do you know how many weeks we have left before the storm arrives? "

Naya’s eyes widened, and she spluttered.

She tried to calculate the time that had passed since she'd first heard about the approaching nnin-eellithi , but the days blurred together in her memory.

Time felt different in the canyon—she'd only been here three days, yet it felt like two weeks had passed.

"I—I'm not sure," she admitted.

"Two weeks," Oshrun said, her voice sharp with emphasis. "Two weeks to broker an alliance, establish trust, and coordinate a defense against a storm that could devastate the entire region."

Naya winced. Two weeks to accomplish what seemed impossible. Both sides needed to bridge generations of mistrust, negotiate in good faith, and find a solution to a magical disaster that had claimed millions of lives in the past.

"I want you to be in control of the deal," Oshrun continued, her amber eyes intense and unwavering. "To navigate both the Omegas and the Sy Dynasty toward peaceful, protected coexistence. I want you to see Akoro today, start negotiations while I speak to the whole community."

Naya stilled, the gravity of what Oshrun was asking pinning her in place.

Seeing Akoro, having to discuss this with him…

. Her first instinct was to refuse. But even as the words formed on her tongue, something else stirred in her chest. This wasn't about being Akoro's captive anymore, or doing what she needed to so she could go home.

This was about being the leader she'd been training to be—the princess who'd spent years learning diplomacy, strategy, the delicate art of finding common ground between opposing factions.

For years, she'd questioned whether she had what it took to rule an empire. The deaths in her homeland, Lili's loss, the weight of so many lives depending on her decisions—it had all felt overwhelming, proof of her inadequacy.

But here was something different. Here was a chance to prove to herself that she could lead not because of her parents’ legacy or her mate, but because of her own skills, her own understanding, her own hard-won wisdom about the cost of both isolation and connection.

Her decision about Akoro had no bearing on this. She could broker a peace that would benefit both sides, create something meaningful from all the pain and separation.

But there was something else. She knew what it was like to be caught between two worlds, to see the truth in perspectives that seemed mutually exclusive.

She'd experienced both the devastating beauty of a true mate bond and the crushing weight of betrayal within that same connection.

She'd felt the pull of duty to her empire and the strange loyalty that had grown toward Akoro's people.

Perhaps that painful duality was exactly what made her uniquely suited to navigate between these groups.

She wasn't choosing sides because she'd been forced to live in the space between them.

The Omegas saw her as someone who understood their trauma.

Akoro's council had accepted her, however reluctantly, as someone able to solve their most pressing problem.

The realization settled over her with uncomfortable clarity. She might be the only person in this entire region who truly comprehended both the Omega need for safety and the Alpha capacity for protection when properly directed.

Maybe that was the true reason she was here. To guide Omegas that had been impacted by the Mothers to a new, more fulfilling existence.

Naya's held Oshrun’s gaze for a long moment. "Why do you trust me with something this important?"

Oshrun's smiled. "Any woman who has endured everything you've been through can handle this easily. You've faced kidnapping, torture, magical catastrophe, political manipulation—and you're still here, still fighting for what's right for people to whom you owe nothing."

She paused, her voice dropping to something more personal. "And I'm hoping that Akoro will realize what a remarkable Omega he's lost with his idiocy," she said with a wry smile.

Despite everything—the pain, the uncertainty, the devastating conversation with Akoro yesterday—Naya found herself smiling in return.

Oshrun's confidence was like sunlight breaking through storm clouds, warming her from the inside out.

To have such a formidable leader place this trust in her abilities felt both terrifying and oddly comforting.

"I'll speak to him," she said, her voice stronger than she'd expected.

The prospect of seeing Akoro again sent competing emotions through her system—nervousness and excitement warring in her chest, anticipation mixing with dread.

But beneath it all lay purpose, solid and reassuring as bedrock beneath shifting sand.